When a person renounces
worldly life and all worldly attachments and is initiated into monkhood or
nunhood, the man is called Sädhu, Shraman or Muni and the woman is called Sädhvi,
Shramani, or Äryä. Their renunciation is total, which means they are completely
detached from social and worldly activities and they do not take any part in
those activities anymore. Instead, they spend their time in spiritually
uplifting their souls and guiding householders such as us on how to uplift
ourselves (our souls).

At the time of initiation,
Sädhus and Sädhvis take five major vows and live strictly in accordance with
those vows. The five great vows are:

1) Ahimsä Mahä-vrata ‑ Vow
of absolute Non‑violence.

Ahimsä (Pränätipät Viraman
Mahä-vrata) means Sädhu and Sädhvis will never cause harm or violence to any
living being including even the tiniest creatures.

2) Satya Mahä-vrata ‑ Vow
of absolute Truthfulness

Satya (Mrushäväda Viraman
Mahä-vrata) means they will not lie. They will speak only harmless truth
otherwise they will be in silence.

3) Asteya or Achaurya
Mahä-vrata ‑ Vow of absolute Non‑stealing

Asteya (Adattädäna Viraman
Mahä-vrata) means without the permission of the owner they will not take
anything from anywhere.

4) Brahmacharya Mahä-vrata
‑ Vow of absolute Celibacy

Brahmacharya (Maithuna
Viraman Mahä-vrata) means they have to observe celibacy with an absolute
adherence to it. The Sädhu or Sädhvis should not even touch a member of the
opposite sex regardless of their age.

5) Aparigraha Mahä-vrata ‑
Vow of absolute Non‑attachment

Aparigraha (Parigraha Viraman
Mahä-vrata) means they do not possess anything and do not have any attachment
for things they keep for their daily needs.

In summary, while taking
these vows, they say, “O Lord Arihanta! I will not commit the sins of violence,
express falsehood, steal, enjoy sensual pleasures, and be possessive. The above
sins I will not commit by speech, thought or deed; nor will I assist or order
anyone to commit these sins. I will not approve or endorse anyone committing
such sins. Oh Lord! I hereby take a sacred and solemn vow that throughout my
life, I will follow these five major vows and strictly follow the code of
conduct laid out for a Sädhu and a Sädhvi.”

Therefore, Jain Sädhus and
Sädhvis never cause harm or violence to any living being. They live according
to the pledge that they do not harm even the tiniest creatures. They always
speak the absolute truth. They do not lie on account of fear, desire, anger or
deceptive intentions. Without the permission of the owner, they do not take
even the smallest thing such as a straw. They observe the vow of celibacy with
an absolute adherence to it. They

do not touch the members of
the opposite sex, even children. If members of the opposite sex touch them by
mistake or ignorance, they must undergo a ritual of repentance (Präyashchitta)
for self purification. Jain Sädhus and Sädhvis do not keep money with them.
They do not own or have control of any wealth, houses, or movable or immovable
property or organization. They limit their necessities to the lowest limit and
apart from these limits they do not have any attachments or possessions.

In addition to the five great
vows, the Jain Sädhus or Sädhvis follow special rules of conduct such as not
consuming food or water after sunset or before sunrise, and wait 48 minutes
after sunrise before even drinking boiled water.

Jain Sädhus and Sädhvis do
not cook their food, do not get it prepared for them, and do not accept any
food, which has been prepared for them. They go to different householders and
receive a small amount of vegetarian food from each house. This practice is
called Gochari. Just as cows graze the top part of grass by moving from place
to place, taking a little at one place and a little at another, in the same way
Jain monks and nuns do not take all their food from one house. They collect it
from various houses. The reason Jain Sädhus/Sädhvis accept a small amount of
food and not all the food from one house is because this way the householders
will not have to cook again.

The cooking process involves
much violence in the form of fire, vegetable chopping, water consumption, etc.,
and Sädhus or Sädhvis do not want to be a part of any violence due to their
needs. They do not receive food standing outside the house; but they go inside
the house where food is cooked or kept. This way they can understand the
situation that their accepting food will not require the householders to cook
again. They accept food, which is within the limit of their vows.

Digambar monks do not keep
any utensils required for food to carry from one house to another. They eat the
food given into their hands only. Hence on each day they have food (Ähär) at
one house only. They eat and drink only once a day, standing in one position.
They do not use any utensils for food and drink. They fold both hands together
so that householder can put a small amount of food in their hands till they have
finished eating.

Jain monks and nuns always
walk bare footed and continuously travel from one place to another. They do not
use any vehicle like bullock cart, car, boat, ship or plane for traveling.
Whether it is cold weather or scorching sun; whether the road is rough, unpaved,
or full of thorns; whether it is burning hot desert sand or sun-baked asphalt,
they do not wear any footwear at any time. They move about on bare feet

all their life. The reason
for not wearing shoes is that while walking, they can avoid crushing the bugs or
insects on the ground. When they travel from place to place, they preach
religion (Dharma) and provide proper spiritual guidance to people. They do not
stay more than a few days in any one place except during the rainy season, which
is about four months in duration. The reason they do not stay anywhere
permanently or for a long period in one place is to avoid developing an
attachment for material things and the people around them. The Sädhus and
Sädhvis generally do not go out at night. The place where they stay is called
Upäshray or Paushadha Shälä. They may stay in places other than the Upäshray if
those places are suitable to the practice of their disciplined life and if they
do not disturb or impede the code of conduct.

The Jain Sädhus and Sädhvis
after receiving the Dikshä (initiation), pluck their hair twice a year or at
least once a year at the time of Paryushan. They pluck their hair or they get
the hair plucked by others. This is called Kesh-lochan or Loch. It is also
considered as one kind of austerity where one bears the pain of plucking hair
calmly.

Digambar Jain monks do not
wear any clothes. Shvetämbar monks wear un-stitched or minimally stitched white
cotton clothes. A loincloth, which reaches to the shins, is called a
Cholapattak.

Another cloth covering the
upper part of the body is called Pangarani (Uttariya Vastra). A cloth that
passes over the left shoulder and covers the body up to a little above the ankle
is called a Kämli. They also carry a bed sheet and a mat to sit on. Shvetämbar
monks also have a Muhapatti- a square or rectangular piece of cloth of a
prescribed measurement either in their hand or tied on their face covering the
mouth. They also have Ogho or Rajoharan (a broom of woolen threads) to clear
insects from where they sit or walk. Digambar monks have a Morpichhi (peacock
feathers) instead of an Ogho and a Kamandal (small wooden pot) in their hands to
keep water for purification of the body. These are the articles by which they
can be distinguished. This practice may vary among different sects of Jains but
the essential principles remains the same to limit needs.

The Jain Sädhus, after being
initiated (receiving Dikshä), devote their lives to spiritual activities such as
meditation, seeking knowledge, acquiring self‑discipline, etc. Proceeding on
the path of spiritual endeavor, they reach a higher level of attainment. Their
spiritual elders, for the preservation of the four‑fold Jain Sangha, confer upon
them special titles.

The Title of Ächärya:

This title is considered to
be very high and involves a great responsibility. The entire responsibility of
the Jain Sangha rests on the shoulders of the Ächärya. Before attaining this
title, one has to make an in‑depth study and a thorough exploration of the Jain
Ägams and attain mastery of them. One must also study the various languages of
the surrounding territory and acquire a thorough knowledge of all the
philosophies of the world related to different ideologies and religions.

The Title of Upädhyäy:

This title is given to a
Sädhu who teaches the other Sädhus and Sädhvis and has acquired a complete
knowledge of the Ägams (Scriptures) and other religious books.

The Title of Panyäs and
Ganipad:

To attain the status of
Ganipad one should have in-depth knowledge of the Bhagawati Sutra along with
other Ägams. To attain the Panyäs‑pad one should have attained a comprehensive
knowledge of all aspects of the Jain Ägams.

The Title of Parävartanä:

This title is given only to
Sädhvis after attaining the knowledge of certain Ägam Sutras such as
Uttarädhyayan Sutra, Ächäräng Sutra and ten Payannä Sutra.

The Jain Sädhus and Sädhvis
are unique. Their entire life is dedicated to the spiritual uplift of their
souls and others. They bestow their blessings on all, uttering the words Dharma
Läbha (may you attain spiritual prosperity). They bless everyone alike
irrespective of their caste, creed, gender, age, wealth, poverty, and social
status. Some put Väskshep (scented sandal wood powder) on the heads of people.
Monks and nuns show the path of a righteous, and disciplined life to every one
through discussions, discourses, seminars and camps to attain spiritual
prosperity. They perform the Pratikraman (introspection) daily and perform
other austerities.